Divisions of the University of Oxford


The various academic faculties, departments, and institutes of the University of Oxford are organised into four divisions, each with its own Head and elected board. They are the Humanities Division; the Social Sciences Division; the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division; and the Medical Sciences Division.

Humanities Division

The Humanities Division has received considerable praise for its work at the forefront of digitising the Humanities. The Humanities Division has been physically expanding into the new Radcliffe Observatory Quarter in Oxford.
The current Head of the Humanities Division is Professor Chris Wickham. Professor Sally Shuttleworth was Head from 2006 to 2011, and Professor Shearer West served as Head between August 2011 and 2015.
The Division contains the following faculties and departments:
Medicine has been taught at the University of Oxford since the 13th century. In 1770, John Radcliffe, an Oxford-educated physician founded the Radcliffe Infirmary. The current Head of the Division is Gavin Screaton, the current Divisional Registrar & Chief Operating Officer is Chris Price. Professor Alastair Buchan was head from 2007-2017
The Division contains the following Faculties and departments:
The Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics is a research institute of the Nuffield Department of Medicine.
The Collaborating Centre for Oxford University and CUHK for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response is a partnership between the Nuffield Department of Medicine and CUHK Faculty of Medicine.
The Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology is a division of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences.
The CRUK/MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology is a research institute of the Department of Oncology.
The Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine is a research centre of the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences.

Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division

From 2015 the head of the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division is Professor Donal Bradley. From 2007 to 2015 the head was Professor Alex Halliday.
The Division contains the following departments:
The Social Sciences Division represents the largest grouping of social sciences of any University in the United Kingdom. As a major provider of social science research, it is accredited by the Economic and Social Research Council as a Doctoral Training Centre of excellence in research training. From 2018 the division's head is Professor Sarah Whatmore. From 2008 to 2017 the head was Professor Roger Goodman.
The Division contains the following faculties and departments:
The Department for Continuing Education works with the divisions to promote continuing education.